Governor Signs Andy Biggs' Bill

I have been following the situation involving the county islands in Gilbert needing fire protection upon the departure of Rural Metro this coming July. Summarizing the events to date: Gilbert has had a cross agreement with Rural Metro for several years to be reimbursed for expenses relating to answering calls in county islands, which don't pay taxes supporting Gilbert Fire, but have paid a fee to Rural Metro. When Rural Metro decided to fold up shop in Gilbert, the issue hit the front burner, with the dilemma being how to protect those county island houses without receiving any income from them. Mayor Berman stipulated that the county islands must annex or lose protection. Since that time, about 20 areas have filed for annexation.

Then, Representative Andy Biggs introduced a bill into the legislature that would force Gilbert to provide coverage to the county islands. It passed both the House and the Senate with relative ease and has been sitting in the Governor's in basket for signing. Mayor Berman met with her to ask for a veto; according to today's AZ Republic, she signed the bill yesterday:

Gov. Janet Napolitano, over a plea from Gilbert Mayor Steve Berman for a veto, signed the bill Monday. And since more than two-thirds of the state House and Senate approved the measure and its emergency clause, it goes into effect immediately.

"I based my decision to sign House Bill 2145 into law on the potential of interruption of fire service to county island residents during a time when fire danger in Arizona is extremely high," Napolitano said Monday in a letter addressed to Berman.

However, that does not necessarily mean Gilbert will provide fire services to unincorporated areas within the town's limits once Rural/Metro leaves.

First, a majority of property owners on county islands within Gilbert's borders must petition to form a fire district.

The bill's passage marks a major victory for Rep. Andy Biggs, its primary backer, and his loyal band of county island supporters.

Biggs, who lives in a Gilbert county island, and Sen. Thayer Verschoor, R-Gilbert, pushed a bill through their respective legislative bodies that was worded to allow the fire district's formation only in Gilbert, a point Napolitano stressed in a letter to Berman.

For the first time that I've seen in any of the Republic's articles, they at least acknowledged that Andy Biggs himself lives in a county island. These reporters have a tandem article in the Gilbert section of the Republic that addresses the cost issue:

Gilbert Town Council members say the money is not enough.

State Rep. Andy Biggs, as he has often done in recent months, disagrees with Gilbert's municipal leaders.

At issue is the amount Biggs wants county island residents to pay the town for services from the Gilbert Fire Department under the terms of a bill approved by the state Legislature this month.
Rural/Metro Corp. plans to stop responding to most county islands within Gilbert's borders July 1.

Biggs' legislation allows county islanders to keep fire services if a majority of county island property owners within Gilbert's boundaries petition to create a fire district.

If a district is established, a board would be formed to seek bids, first from private providers, such as Rural/Metro.

But the board would have the power to reject any private bids if companies cannot put up a $10 million performance bond, a stipulation Gilbert Mayor Steve Berman says discourages private companies from bidding.

If bids aren't received or are deemed unacceptable, Gilbert then would be mandated to provide emergency fire and medical services to county island residents.

The rest of this article goes on to detail the costs proposed and disputed; I have tax calculations to do, so I don't have time to crunch the numbers in the article for meaning, but you can read the rest if you have that inclination. It's a very messy situation, as life can be sometimes.

For an anecdotal uplift, the Gilbert Independent profiles a family that annexed, and is glad they did. Here is the beginning of that article:

Having annexed into the Town of Gilbert 10 years ago, Jennifer and Harrell Boyster and their neighbors could not be happier.

While unincorporated county island residents in Gilbert ponder annexation and its ramifications, these former county island residents living near the Val Vista and Elliot roads intersection remain assured the decision they made a decade ago was the right one.

"We've been in this house 15 years and we have no regrets at all annexing into the town of Gilbert," Mrs. Boyster said. "There's been no intrusion by the town into our lives. Nobody comes up and down our streets. We have our horses, our goats and chickens and even an emu. We lead our lives and no one bothers us at all."

She said life improved for her and her neighbors, approximately 20 households, after annexing into Gilbert.

She cited better police protection, fire service, garbage collection and street maintenance as additional pluses.

The saga continues.